Highlights:
- Famous Indian movie producer Karan Johar join hands with Viacom18 for a new venture “Govinda Naam Mera”
- The movie is slated to release in June 2022 and is being directed by Shashank Khaitan
- The movie will star Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar and Kiara Advani in lead roles
Dharma Production, owned by famous Bollywood producer and director Karan Johar has joined hands with Viacom18 Studios for a new venture titled “Govinda Naam Mera”. The movie will star Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar and Kiara Advani in lead roles.
The movie is being directed by Shashank Khaitan, who is known for blockbuster movies Dhadak and Badrinath Ki Dulhania.
Govinda Naam Mera is slated to be released on 10 June 2022.
Viacom18 Studios, which is a part of the media and entertainment conglomerate Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., has partnered with Dharma Productions on three other films as well, these movies are slated for the coming months, including Johar’s directorial venture Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani starring Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt
The other 2 ventures are as follows:
- Raj Mehta-directed “Jug Jugg Jeeyo” starring Anil Kapoor, Neetu Singh Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani
- Shakun Batra’s unnamed movie starring Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Dhairya Karwa.
According to trade experts of the movie industry, the recent partnership of Dharma and Viacom18, as well as that of Reliance Entertainment and T-Series for movie slates is the result of the COVID-19 induced pandemic.
The developments have come as production houses are looking for ways to reduce individual investments, risks, attract top stars and invest in more large-scale projects which will draw audiences back to the cinema halls.
These partnerships, among the top production houses of the Bollywood industry, are meant to capitalise on their strengths and bring them together as a powerhouse for both content and marketing.
Dharma, which is known for its ability to pull together big stars in the Bollywood industry, will be benefitting from the distribution network of Viacom, as per trade experts, with the movies also making their way to the viewer via satellite channels for TV premiers.
The pandemic induced by the deadly COVID-19 hit the entertainment industry hard and these partnerships will be a good way to make the best of all that is available, at a time when funds are limited for many and there is a need to maintain strong balance sheets.
There have also been deals cut with the Hollywood giant Lionsgate who picked up a 20% stake in film production company Spyglass Media Group, whose feature film library consists of close to 200 titles including the latest instalment of horror franchise Scream and fashion competition series Project Runway.
